Cotten Tails and Wild Fur (Hetalia America and England Fanfiction)
by Indepednt Skies
Summary: England is suffering from nightmares and thunderstorms because they remind him of America's Independence, but what was the real reason America left? France wants America to tell England the truth, but he refuses in fear that England will hate him more. America must learn to control the power that lurks within his shadow and the only thing that can calm it is forgiveness.
1. Chapter 1

It's mid-summer when thunderstorms never seem to cease. They are at their highest chance of striking the surface of the land. Lightening sparks through the clouds and the roaring sound of thunder is strong enough to rumble the earth. Any small defenseless critter would quiver under the might of god's wrath.

A small shed was connected just by the side of the house. It was decorated with blossoming rose bushes that would make the air smell sweet if it weren't for the rain. Though through the old cobwebs and unattended weeds what hid under that small shed was a jack rabbit.

A hand extended out to that small lump of fur curled up in the far back corner of the shed with its small trembling white tail. He whispered calmly to it "Hey, it's alright. I'll take you someplace safe. Just reach my hand and we'll go together".

The small frightened creature raised its floppy ears and sniffed out for the outstretched hand for it was too scared to open its eyes. Trying to discover the owner of the scent and it had actually never distinguished who the scent had belonged to; it just knew that it was warm.

It slowly slinked into the palm of the hand, curled up, and fell asleep. The hand then slowly pulled out and brought the small wet lump of fur closely to his chest and stroked it gently with his fingers. He felt relieved, smiled, and whispered to the sleeping jack rabbit "It's okay ...England".

"America!? Did you find him"!?

America looked to his left past his leather jacket he had draped over his head and saw France running through the mud to catch up.

"France, he's fine I found him under the shed", America reassured France with a smile.

"Thank goodness", France replied as he gazed down at the fuzzy creature America caressed in his hands.

"They both quickly hurried and laid the jack rabbit on England's bed with a pair of pants and a shirt laid out. France pulled the covers half way over England's small body while America sat patiently at the table.

France came in from the hall way and groaned as he sat across from America. He seemed pretty pooped with the dark circles under his eyes being the evidence. He rested his head on his chin and said "Thank you America for coming so suddenly, but I honestly thought that I would not be able to find him this time. Sigh~ he can really be such a handful".

"It's alright I'm just glad to know that he's safe", America replied with a small smile.

America seemed be alright, but France could tell by his strange silence and the aversion of his gaze that he still seemed to be struggling. France Hesitated at first, but eventually asked "So, how have you been? You have acted up in a while"?

"Uh, yeah I guess not. Me keeping my distance seems to be working, but I still worry about him".

"America...? I do not think that this will solve the task at hand...-"

"France... just please take care of him".

America grabbed his jacket hanging on the back of his chair and left without another word. France didn't make any effort to stop him. He scratched his head and mumbled irritably "Geez brothers can be so stubborn".

He leaned back in his chair and stared blankly up at the ceiling, "America by doing all this... It just shows how cowardly you are..."

 _~To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_"Hey... England..."?_

 _"What is it America"?_

Don't say it...!

 _"I was wondering what Independence means"?_

No! Don't go!

*CRACK*!

 _"I want... freedom... England..."_

"America"!

England reached his hand out for what was just an optical illusion. It took him a moment to realize what reality was again.

"Oh you are finally awake? You have some pleasant dreams"?

"Uh!?" England turned to see France sitting beside the bed skinning and carving a red apple.

England slowly put his hand down and relaxed himself until he noticed a cool breeze between the sheets. He flipped over the covers and asked irritably "Why am I naked"?

France chuckled a little at England's petulant expression and finished carving his apple slices into small bunny shaped figures.

"What do you think? You transformed again", France perked his lips together as if he were giving someone a really weird smooch, "You were so cute with your little cotton tail shivering from the cold"! :3

England wasn't too amused which only made the air in the room become more demoralizing. France stopped making goofy faces and became quite serious for his ludicrous personality. "How long is this going to keep going? You have to get over it somehow"?

"It's not that simple...", England looked away angered by what he thought was impossible.

"It is about time you faced the truth England. He is not a child anymore. Why can't you just let that go"?

"Shut it Frog"!

Daring to push further France stated firmly not letting England scurry away like he did America "No, you have to accept that America is his own now. He's grown strong and independent just like you wanted"!

"I said shut up"!

England couldn't take it. Hearing words that relate to that day was like a bullet through the ear and out the other. They were words that his mind just couldn't ingest. Everything came out at once as he slapped the plate out of France's hands. The apple slices that France had patiently carved were scattered about the floor. Although France didn't say a word of anger or regret and neither did England.

England looked away too stubborn like his younger brother to say anything as France quietly picked up the slices of apple. He put them back on the plate and then placed it at England's bed side. France looked once more at England before he made his way out the door.

"What?" England irritably asked as if he was intimidating France to say something.

"Just try to get some rest okay. There is going to be another storm later".

France shut the door slowly. England gripped his sheets tightly to keep himself from going ballistic and cursed "Dammit all..."

He wrapped himself under his covers to escape the cold draft and left only the top of his head sticking out. He tried to look out the window, but the rain concealed his sight to the outside world. He stuffed his mouth with the sheets to refrain from cursing again, turned over on his other side, and closed his eyes to listen to the sound of the rain.

 _~To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

With a pen between the bottom of his nose and his upper lip America leaned back in his chair deep thought. He spun around once and then twice and then another and shouted "God! I can't do this work is exhausting and boring"!

He banged his head on the desk and left it there deciding on whether to just sleep here or put some effort into at least making it to the couch. He decided to just sleep there in the end, but an annoying ringer went off.

 _"hamburger... streeto..."!_

"Huh!? Oh crap! Where is it"!?

America searched through his cluttered that was half littered with potato chip bags and soda for his phone. If there was one country that looked like he'd been living with raccoons for a few months it would definitely be America.

Once he tried to stop and listen and he could hear it coming from his bed. He leaped like a fat cat over his desk determined, but sloppy. He then tripped over the waste bin, and kicked around some dirty clothes as he made his way to his bed. He flopped onto his bed making the old springs creak and dug under his pillows until he found that small device playing loudly.

 _"HAMBURGER STREETO- *beep*"_

"Um hello!? This is you're hero speaking!", America held the phone up to his ear and responded in a panic. He heard a soft spoken voice on the other end.

["Hello brother...? It's been some time... How have you been..."?]

"Oh hey Bro! Nothing much just doing some lame old boring paper work"

["Oh I see... You're procrastinating again?"]

"Yeah! I mean no! Uh-! I mean why the sudden call little Bro"?

["Sigh~ I just wanted to know how you were doing. It hasn't acted up lately has it"?]

"Sigh~ between you and the frog I can't seem to escape that question. I mean geez give it a rest guys. It's not like I'm just going to suddenly go ballistic".

["I know I know, but we worry about you. I can understand how much you struggled brother. I went through the same thing as you are now"]

"Hmm..."

["Brother..."?]

 _"HAMBURGER STREETO"!_

"Ahh!? Oh sorry Bro I got another call. I'll talk to you later. Kay"?

["Kay, see you around brother.] *beep*"

"*beep* Hello? This is America speaking".

["America! It's a hurricane out here! You've got to get over here! England isn't anywhere near the house this time. And-"!]

"What is it France!? What's wrong"!?

["I think he might be hurt...?"]

*CRACK*!

"I'm coming right over! I'll be there in fifteen minutes"!

America slammed his phone closed, rushed into his car, and drove hysterically to England's house. Through the rain, wind, and darkness of the night he arrived eventually meeting up with France.

"France where did he run off to!?", America shouted pulling up his rain hood tightly to block the wind.

"I don't know, but look here!", France replied holding his flashlight up to the scene.

To keep his garden from critters and herbivorous animals England built a wooden fence around the back of his house defending it with barbed wire. As America and France observed they could see blood and fur tangled in the wire.

"He must have run off into the back woods!?", France stated trying to shout over the rain.

Just a mile past the barbed wired fence was a small area of woods and in between them was a field. Small hills stretched out hills, green moist grass, and maybe some wild daisies. Either way England always had favored the beauty of nature in his country.

"Then lets go after him"!

America was about to leap over the fence, but France stopped him short. He held out his arm and grabbed America by his shoulder. America looked furious in response to France's actions and shouted, "Why are you stopping me"!?

"Are you sure you're okay? It's showing".

"Huh?", America looked down at his clenched fist and noticed they were bleeding from his palm. He slowly relaxed them to reveal four puncture holes caused by claws that extended to a sharp point from his finger tips.

America could see why France stopped him. He took a deep breath and repeated in his head; calm down, just calm down America. He tensed up his fingers and the muscles in his hand to retract his claws.

"Better?", France asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. Lets go", America responded with annoyance as he grabbed the flashlight out of France's hand.

Deep in the back woods England laid, half naked, curled up beside the base of a tree. His arms and legs torn from barb wire. He trembled, but not from the cold rain or the damp soil beneath him, but from a dream.

"D-don't leave... p-please... don't leave me..."

"CRASH"!'

"Ahh"!?

England awoke from the crackling thunder and he looked around frantically and confused with the flashing lightning as his only source of light. His thoughts were so scrambled from his dreams that he couldn't even feel the sting from the dirt in his wounds. Eventually he looked down and said to himself, "I'm bleeding..."?

"Grrr..."

A low growl echoed through the forest. It was close enough that England could hear it through the pounding rain.

"Oh? It's you... Have you returned for a second round"?

Without even raising his head England spoke to the growling figure. That figure moved through the darkness with a thump and its paws were large enough to crush your sternum once he charged and pounced on you forcing down all his grizzly weight.

England with no confusion or even the slightest bit of fear stood up to the man eater, and that dark hairy figure stood up on it's hind legs in response. It raised its head and paws high, bared its fangs, and roared.

"Grrrrrrr"!

The man eater was at least three times England's size, but still he did not waver to its threats. Instead he locked his shoulders, straightened his back, and pulled back on an invisible line.

"I promise you I will not hesitate this time! I will not let anymore of us be hunted"!

"Grrraaaaahhh"!

The man eater charged forward, its legs reached as far and as deep as it could into the ground to pick up speed. England aimed for the bears heart and for the shortest moment a ring had appeared in the center of his eyes.

"England"!

"Uh"!?

He was about to let go, but a holler in the distance caused the bear figure and that line to fade. From the bear's figure America had appeared, he ran to England who was still in a daze, and hugged him tightly as they both fell to their knees.

"Thank god I found you! You okay!? Are you hurt!? God! You're freezing"!

America quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around England's chilled body.

"America...?", England mumbled with a dull hazy expression.

"What"!?

"I saw a bear..."

"A bear"?

"I couldn't do it... twice I could not kill it..."

America didn't understand, neither could France who stood behind America still lighting the way with his flashlight. They couldn't understand what England was rambling about, it all sounded like hallucinations.

Concerned, America held England close resting his head on his left shoulder. England laid in America's arms, almost lifeless, and mumbled, "If I cannot kill the bear all the hares will be hunted... I have to kill the bear..."

England passed out in America's arms and all America could do was hold him tightly not knowing the meaning behind England's words. What was this bear England so desperately wants to kill?

 _~To Be Continued..._


End file.
